Stories for Kids

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE

Once upon a time, a hare went to a pool to quench his thirst. As a matter of chance, he saw a slow-moving tortoise over there and mocked at him. The tortoise felt pinched and challenged the hare for a race.

The hare accepted the challenge with a smile. The next morning, they both met at the starting point and the race began. As expected, the hare went far ahead of the tortoise.

After covering more than half of the distance, he started feeling bored. As the tortoise was quite far behind, the hare thought of taking some rest. So he stopped and began eating blades of green grass. Having his had fill, he felt asleep. Nearby, he saw a shady bush and laid down under it.

As for the tortoise, he constantly moved along at his slow pace and overtook the sleeping hare. He reached the destination point and won the race.

When the hare awoke, it was fairly late. He feared that the tortoise might have passed by him. So he ran at a break-neck speed but reaching the destination point, was highly disappointed to find his rival already there as a winner.

This story, therefore, teaches us that, one who moves steadily though slow, is never a looser. That's why we say, "Slow and steady, wins the race."